


Just Friends

by StariNights



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Again, Canon Era, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay, Internalized Homophobia, Kinda, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, a bit of angst, but like, not really - Freeform, real gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 23:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17069237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StariNights/pseuds/StariNights
Summary: //They were just friends.David reminded himself that every time Jack sat a little closer than necessary. Every time he stared at his lips a little longer then he should. Every time Jack showed up at his window at three in the morning, even though they both had papers to sell just barely hours later, only to grab his hand and pull him around the city because, as he said, it was a crime David had lived in New York all his life and yet he had never seen the docks at night, or the city's skyline at sunrise, or some other beautiful sight  that they both ignored in favor of stealing not so stealthy glances at each other. //(Or in which these boys are oblivious and gay)





	Just Friends

They were just friends. 

David reminded himself that every time Jack sat a little closer than necessary. Every time he stared at his lips a little longer then he should. Every time Jack showed up at his window at three in the morning, even though they both had papers to sell just barely hours later, only to grab his hand and pull him around the city because, as he said, it was a crime David had lived in New York all his life and yet he had never seen the docks at night, or the city's skyline at sunrise, or some other beautiful sight that they both ignored in favor of stealing not so stealthy glances at each other. 

David repeated it to himself again as Jack pulled him through the city at four in the morning. His hand hadn't left David's since he pulled him out of his window not thirty minutes earlier. He fought down the blush that was creeping up his neck, he knew Jack was a very tactile person but this felt... different somehow. He knew these thoughts could get him killed, after all, it seemed the worst thing you could be was a queer if all the stories in the papers were anything to go by, but he couldn't help but hope that Jack never let him go.

It seemed they had finally reached their destination as Jack pulled him up the fire-escape attached to Medda's theater. David gave jack a curious but amused look, fighting to keep the pink off his cheeks as Jack turned around to smile at him.

"Mind tellin' me what was so important ya had ta drag me outta bed at four in th' mornin'?" He tilted his head and bit down a grin as Jack gestured to the city below. 

"Aw c'mon Davey! Jist look at it!" Jack grinned, leaning on the railing, "There's no way ya really wanna miss this!" David rolled his eyes, but let himself lean on the rail beside the other boy and bump his shoulder. 

"Oh yeah, I'm gonna be real grateful tryin' ta sell papes later" Jack snorted and bumped him back, so David bumped him and they just kept going back and forth until they were both laughing harder then they should be and leaning heavily on the rail. When David finally composed himself he glanced up to look at Jack and say something about how they were going to fall off the fire-escape if they didn't calm down, but his breath caught in his throat.

Jack was staring at him, the smallest of smiles playing on his lips and something David couldn't really place in his eyes. 

"Whatcha starin' at, Jackie?" he breathed, meaning for it to sound more playful but failing miserably.

"Tha best view 'n New York" He replied, voice only a hair louder than David's. 

David paused, then burst into a fit of laughter, he couldn't help it. Out of all the dumb things Jack could say he choose the most cliche and cheesy line of them all. He should have known it was going to be some dumb flirty joke. 

"That was so cheesy oh my god! Race teach ya that one?" he managed in between laughs.

Jack huffed indignantly "Yeah whateva, ya knows Race wishes he was as romantic as me!"

"Jack, jokes aren't exactly the peak of romance" David pointed out, playfully poking Jack's side.

"Who says I's jokin'?"

David froze. What? 

"What?"

Jack bit his lip, refusing to look David in the eyes, "Who says I's jokin'?"

David furrowed his brows, Jack has to be joking, right? He has to be because if he's not then David can't keep pretending the long stares and lingering touches are any more than platonic affection. He won't be able to pretend the pink on his cheeks were from anything but the cold. 

If Jack's not joking then David can't ignore his not-so-just-friends feelings.

Jack gave him a worried look, reading the anxiety written clearly on his face. David flinched when Jack put a hand on his shoulder but he made no move to stop him.

"Jack, you have to be jokin', cause if you're not then we could get killed," he said quietly, ignoring the way his stomach flipped when Jack looked at him with such concern in his eyes.

"Davey... Dave please, I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya, you knows that" He moved his hands to David's cheeks and his breath hitched.

"Jack, please..." his voice sounded strangled, but he placed a hand over Jack's own to keep him from moving back. It was stupid, but the heat of his hands made David feel safe, even though he knew that was the very thing putting them both in danger at the moment. 

Jack took a step closer and he almost flinched. His breath on his nose made David shudder as he stood frozen under the moonlight. It felt as though everything moved in slow motion as Jack leaned in and pressed his lips to David's. 

It was soft and unsure, and David was sure he could feel his anxiety radiating off him, but he still kissed back. Wrapping his arms around Jack's neck as they broke apart and jack pressed his forehead to David's.

"I ain't gonna ever let anything happen to ya Davey," he whispered barely above a breath as he moved to grab David hands instead. He gripped the others boy's hands like a lifeline and he closed his eyes.

"What about you? This is illegal, they could throw you in the refuge, or-or kill ya Jackie" Jack's hand squeezed his as David's voice broke.

Jack just grinned, kissing David again, "since when have I ever cared about somethin' bein' illegal, hm?" David finally smiled, a barely-there smile but a smile nonetheless, as Jack continued "'sides, they'd hafta catch me before the can lock me up."

David sighed, looking back at Jack with concern before something evil flashed through his eyes."At least your ego's still intact" he grinned wickedly and laughed as Jack pushed him off.

"Oh come on! We's was havin' a moment!" He feigned offense and David snorted. 

"Please, just because I love you doesn't mean you get off the hook for being an egomaniac!"

Jack fake gasped, holding a hand to his chest in mock hurt, "Now I don't knows what that means but I knows it was hurtful-" he froze as realization passed across his face "Wait. You love me?"

David raised an eyebrow, ignoring the knot in his throat and the fact that he just knew his face was beet red as he smiled "Well yeah, I don't break the law for just anybody."

Jack stood frozen for a second more and David wondered if he had said the wrong thing. Maybe Jack didn't love him; maybe this was just a trick to make him reveal the fact that he as queer and the bulls were waiting in the alley below to take him away.

All of those thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as Jack pulled him into a bruising kiss, arms around his neck. After a beat of unsureness, David rested his hands on Jack's waist and he felt the other boy grin into the kiss. 

When Jack finally pulled back he didn't go far. He grinned, arms still around David's neck and only an inch away from his face he said "Well good. because I love you too."

David grinned as he rested his forehead against Jack's. So maybe they weren't just friends. Maybe they were something more, and as terrifying as that thought was-

Maybe that wasn't so bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Hecc this is my first newsie fanfic! So forgive me if it's Trash(tm). Im trying.
> 
> You an yell at me or request shit on tumblr! @allthenewsiesaregay-bitch


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